One Last Chance
by theAsh0
Summary: Try to save a drowning man, and you'll just get pulled in yourself. Isn't that right? yeah; trilogy. In which Zuko is too loyal, Sokka is too clever, and the Avatar has too much mercy to bear.
1. One Chance

**Try to save a drowning man, and you'll just get pulled in yourself. Isn't that right? **

**w/c: I posted this a little while back under a different title but took it down for major re-write.**

**This was originally meant as a one-piece, but after quite a few requests inspiration hit, and now it is a three-part piece. I do think it'll stay as that though.**

**The first part is a bit dark. All parts are a bit experimental (the first tries this "On the…" style). I'd love to know if this is working, so please review! –even if you didn't like it! –especially if you didn't like it.**

**PS- completely butchering cannon here. Just pretend Zuko didn't lose his ship to Zhao. Or that Toph joins earlier and they get lost in the desert to lose Appa right after. **

On morning of the first day, Zuko addressed his little mantra to the sun itself.

Uncle and all the sailors had disembarked and left for town, he had the privacy to do so. It seemed about as likely Agni would listen as Father, but there was little to lose by it.

However, the Sun turned out to grant requests more readily then he had thought, for within the hour the prince saw the Avatar's bison flying inland: no more than a light speck on a dark blue horizon, barely visible as the dry inland air his sea and caused the air to shimmer with vapor.

But Zuko saw it, and he had only asked for _one_ chance. It seemed only logical to the prince to write a quick letter to Uncle He gathered up the emergency Avatar-hunting supplies he kept ready for just such a situation, added an extra water-skin and mounted the swiftest Komodo-Rhino they had aboard.

As he rode, the town gave way to dry land, and then the land gave way to desert. Prince Zuko found himself on a different, dryer sort of sea then he was used to: nothing but sand and the occasional rock for visual reference, and the few thorn bushes on his track were so sharp and hard not even his Komodo would eat them.

Still, that near-white speck on the horizon taunted him, so Zuko pushed on.

During the night before the second day, Zuko had the dream again.

On his knees at the Agni Kai, begging and repeating that one sentence that had become his mantra.

His Father, as he always did in the dream, slowed; that flaming fist paused. Towering over him, Fire Lord's face distorted to a sneer.

"_Pathetic._ Well, what are you _waiting for_ then, Zuko? Here is your chance. The Avatar is right there. Catch him already."

Zuko was up before dawn, pushing his mount to the limits of endurance.

By late afternoon, his Komodo sank into the sand, unwillingly and unnaturally. The prince raved and dug for the creature with bare hands, but there was no sign of it. Strange nomad-people taunted him from the edge of his vision, but every time he turned to attack, he found the desert empty and himself alone. He howled at them, challenged those cowards.

No one came out.

Then the Avatar's bison announced itself again, in the sky, and so he shouldered the single pack he had managed to safe from the sand, and went after it.

On the third day, the sky-bison did not take to the sky.

It was not till late evening, when he had finally caught up with the Avatar's group, that Zuko found out why: the sky-bison, too, had disappeared. By the cover of night, the banished prince snuck up the rock that was the Avatar's camp, scoffing silently at their inability to even post a night-guard.

Once there, Zuko noticed a fourth person had joined the little gang; another child; a girl of earth-kingdom origin if her clothing was any indication. She looked no older than twelve, but the prince shrugged the fact off: if the Avatar thought it funny to field a handful of children against the mighty Fire-nation armies, the prince reasoned their deaths would be on that irresponsible boy's head.

So with little remorse, he put a hand to the boy air-bender's mouth. Grey eyes jumped open in shock, and Zuko drew back a fist to knock out the child. Yet the prince must not have been as quiet as he had thought, for something struck _him_ in the back in the head instead.

While unconscious, Zuko dreamt the dream. This time, his father called him lazy for sleeping on the job.

Zuko awoke the fourth day, to a stomach-turning motion the wrong way down.

When the world came into focus, he found himself slung over the Avatar's shoulder. The child panted with effort, so much smaller than the Fire Prince that both Zuko's hands and feet nearly touched the ground as the boy labored under him.

When the prince demanded to know what the Avatar thought he was doing, the air-bender responded with a smile: the child would not leave an unconscious man to die alone in the desert.

Needless to say Zuko retaliated to that audacity with fire and flame.

The air-bender only dodged back, complaining with nervous laughter that there was no need for violence: _were they not all stuck in this mess together? Here in this no-man's land without transport and supplies running low. if Zuko would please just listen to reason…_ But no self-respecting Fire Nation soldier would ever listen to a word of that drivel, and so the prince fought.

The Avatar's three companions were less amused; the following scuffle ended with the fire prince pressed to the hot sand under two girls as the water-tribesman bound his wrists behind him with the shackles Zuko had brought _for the Avatar._

Finally let to his feet, the fire bender kicked and breathed flame in retaliation; but he was obviously no longer a threat, and the two girls laughed while the water-tribe boy taunted him and drew his fire.

It was no until that evening, when they offered him dinner, that Zuko realized they had _meant_ for him to follow.

Insulted, the prince did not accept their meal.

On the fifth day, the Avatar tried to feed him breakfast.

Determined not fall to their ploy, Zuko had the satisfaction of setting the child's eyebrows on fire. The water-bender bended some water down his throat though. The prince told himself he would have spat that out too, had he had the chance. He owed these fools nothing.

By evening, when Zuko had run out of both energy and insults, the water-tribesman came unexpectedly to his aid.

"Sometimes, when one of the pack goes rabid, you have to sent it out onto the ice." the taller boy was telling the Avatar, who still shook his head in denial as he made his way up their designated camp-site.

The fire bender was about to thank the boy for understanding; until he realized he was being compared to a sledge-wolf.

"I am a Prince" he growled at them heatedly. "You will _not_ compare me to an animal. And I am most certainly _not of your pack_."

The water-warrior stood staring at him with hooded eyes as the other three set to make camp. Finally he threw fire bender a gesture in defeat and turned to help the others out. It didn't occur to Zuko till late at night to wonder what _rabid_ meant.

On the Sixth day, Zuko had the dream again. This time, Father told him he was lazy and weak for not taking action when he was so close.

And, as always, _pathetic. _

It seemed his Father was right, because when the Avatar again brought breakfast, his breath would not take flame. The resulting scuffle ended with him biting the Avatar; hard. It was small satisfaction but Zuko took what he could.

When the water-tribesman walked by while clearing camp, though, offering in an aside: "You are _Pathetic._" Zuko had to bite back what had become an automated reply, and turned up his nose to the boy.

On the Seventh day, they had run out of food.

It was the only upside to that day, as Zuko was at least saved from the choice between food and dignity.

By mid-morning, he had neither, for after he had landed face-first in the sand for the sixth time the Avatar's whines to unchain him led to the concession where they chained his hands in front instead. So that he could at least get back to his feet himself, the water-boy claimed.

Zuko did not let the fact that they would have been quite willing to leave him completely free, had he not taken his chance to sock the water-tribesman and elbow the girl earth-bender in the face, deter him in the least. He felt no remorse for hitting a blind girl either: if she wanted to stay save, she should never have left home to join a war they were destined to lose.

That evening he sat staring at his manacled arms, mesmerized.

Zuko had toned strong arms for a sixteen year old, even after a week of hardship. And yet the cuffs were set to their tightest position, ends interlocking. Still they left plenty of room for them shift up and down. The prince felt like a fool: had he put these on the Avatar, the boy would well have been able to slip his little hands right out.

The night of the Eight day, Zuko dreamt again.

_Pathetic._

His father asked him what he was waiting for; if he enjoyed following peasants around like a guineas puppy. Asked why he had not acted yet.

When the fire bender awoke, panting, the water tribesman was sitting up next to him. The teen told him he was being entirely too loud, and if the prince wanted to scream, he really should be decent enough to walk out into the desert before he did.

Zuko tried going back to sleep, but knew quite well what his Father had meant for him to do.

Still, when he had crawled over to the water-boy who was by now snoring loudly, his body betrayed him. For too, too long he sat staring from his shaking hands to the boy's face, trying to decide if he should smother the man with a hand, or use the short chain to strangle him.

By the time the prince thought he had made his decision, the earth-bender girl had snuck up on _him_. When he noticed her, she simply laughed and punched him in the side, almost tauntingly. Then she proclaimed loudly to everyone that it was time to get moving.

Zuko had no way of knowing how long she had even watched, but the implication that she not even saw him as a threat stung worse than her fist.

When they stopped for the evening, all exhausted, Zuko explained - quite vehemently - that he did _not_ want _any_ of their last water. Still, the Avatar went against his explicit wishes once again. However, by now even the water-bender was too weak to bend, and so Zuko spat out what had been forced upon him.

The water-tribesmen that had helped keep him down lost it at that: the boy sprung to his feet, kicked the prince viciously twice, and then stalked off.

The boy was quite obviously crying, though where the boy had the moist left to form tears from was anyone's guess.

Yet when Zuko refused to even _try_ standing on the ninth day, senses near-deaf to taunts, it was that same water-tribesman that sighed, and picked him up to carry piggy-back stile. The prince briefly considered also fighting this kindness, but he doubted he had the strength left.

Again the group toiled on. And it had to be said: despite his insistent whining, the water-tribesman's steps only swayed a little more than his companion's.

By mid-morning, the Avatar, who had gone on to scout with his glider, came down with a whoop.

"You guys, I've spotted trees and a village up in the distance. I'm going to go ahead and see if I can find us some water."

With that, the boy was gone again. Both girls that had been walking a little ahead turned on wobbly legs now, grinning to each-other. Then they continued with a new spring to their steps. The water-tribesman followed, but hardly faster than before. It occurred to Zuko the water-boy had spent what reserved he had left already.

"Put m' down."

"Not yet." The tribesman answered after a moment.

"Put m' down. I can - walk myself."

"No you can't." The boy answered, sounding haughty but also very far away as Zuko held to consciousness by a thread. "Besides, I've made it my quest in life to dump you in a river. And I intend to pursue it with as much vigor as you have been chasing us."

"This- changes nothing." The prince managed, finally. "I will. Capture. The Avatar."

"You _are_ _pathetic._"

The mantra answer pushed past the prince's lips, unwanted.

Zuko groaned, but what was said could not be unsaid.

In answer, the tribesman just laughed; oblivious to Zuko's discomfort.

"You should ask Aang that; he's the one in charge." A stunted step, as the boy hitched the fire-bender up; the chain was by long the only reason Zuko had managed to hold on at all. "Or are you still stupidly asking _your father_ for that?"

Zuko tried to swallow, wishing he was dead. Surely, he had meant those words for Father. He had _always _meant them for Father. But the Fire Lord was not here; and would _definitely _not listen now, when his son had found a new low. When Zuko had found completely new ways to fail and embarrass the Fire-Lord yet again.

Perhaps Father had never even listened to start with.

Yet, the mantra would not stop; It just spun on, over and over in his mind; faster and faster. Words ever the same, and yet different as they sped up. If they lost their meaning now, he would truly be lost.

'_Please, just give me one more chance .Just one more chance. One more chance. One more chance. _

'_One last chance.'_


	2. Rabies Fire Bender

**Due to many a request, here is a follow- up for 'One Last Chance'. **

Sokka's sister had always been soft and forgiving, and in this the Avatar's spirit was kindred to hers. Therefore it should not have come as a surprise that Aang held the same penchant for collecting trays his sister did.

It also should not have come as a surprise when Aang's habit would cause even more difficulties.

.

In the middle of town they had stumbled on was a stream: Sokka waded in, dumped the prince off his back, and stepped out of the arm-chain encirclement to regard their latest charity-case.

Katara's strays had _always_ caused problems: the sea-bear cub she had found attacked them, a snow-fox that wondered by had bitten, and the foundling snow-elephant had charged through town rampant.

Aang's newest project was all of these combined: the Fire-prince had attacked the group _in their sleep!_ He had bitten _and_ _burned_ the Avatar. As for the charge-attack? It would come soon. Sokka was pretty sure Zuko was up for it, whenever he had recovered enough strength to stand.

Right now however the prince seemed content to sit in the stream, and put his hands together to drink the water.

.

Dehydrated, Sokka drank deeply as well, splashed his face, and finished to resume contemplating the best course if action.

The fire-bender stared back, through narrowed eyes, still seated, hands buried under water.

Sokka was, again, reminded of the icy pole's one truth: there was _always_ a reason when creatures wondered aimlessly and alone.

The sea-bear cub had was disfigured at birth, abandoned; the snow-fox had been starving. As for the snow-elephant? It suffered from a disease that ate its brain, turning it slowly mad.

The water-tribesman would not hazard a guess from which of these afflictions the fire prince suffered. But if he were put on the spot, Sokka would choose: all of the above.

"Stay." he told the man, but considered the fire bender's oppositional nature; not that Sokka _cared:_ "Or run away."

The shrug he countered with his own; and the water-tribesman turned to find his companions. Leaving the Fire prince here and making a run for it sounded just fine, right about now.

Zuko had water. Zuko could get food here. Zuko should ask the villagers to help him out of the cuffs. Zuko might even find his way home from here.

_Mission complete. _

But when Sokka joined the others where they stood haggling over food, one of the villagers came over to complain:

The Avatar was good. The Avatar have mercy. The Avatar could have _all_ their food _for free_- if the Avatar would kindly remove their Fire Nation captive from their village's soil.

_Mission failed. _

Indeed, when they re-located the Fire Prince, he was already surrounded by disgruntled villagers.

A tree was burning. Angry villagers shouted. The fire bender sneered.

Yeah- Sokka shouldhave known it would not be so easy.

Katara put out the tree with an apology. Sokka set out to re-subdue their flammable captive with Toph's assistance. And Aang spent a lot of time apologizing to the people. In the end, they were allowed to stay the night, if future fires would be averted.

When morning came, breakfast was served early, equipment and rations had already been packed. The villagers kindly sent the group away by dawn's light, in an obvious hurry to be rid of them.

Sokka realized another similarity between the prince and Katara's old strays: no sane soul would relieve the gang of this burden.

That evening, Sokka offered to feed their jerk guest. - He had a much better plan than Aang's '_here comes the Fire Nation supply-boat'_: No, what the water-warrior did was, simply dump the prince's bowl somewhere on his vicinity and stalk off to his sleeping bag.

As expected, the prince yelled at him, complaining that he didn't want this muck they called food.

Sokka then turned back as haughtily as he could, and kindly informed their resident fire bender that the food was _not _meant for him, but rather for the spirit-goblins. He went on to claim the spirit-goblins were a minor deity water-tribe honored with food and warned the prince not to touch the offering.

Next day, the food was gone, and the mandatory threats Sokka made at the address of said prince-ling were met with jeers: as far as Zuko was concerned, the spirit-goblins could 'bring it on'.

Sokka's ploy went a little too well: his companions promptly put him in charge of anything to do with their angry guest. What was worse, after lunch the prince trailed their little group with a steady, even tread. And yet, the fire bender had stopped spitting and shooting fire-balls at his captor's altogether.

It made Sokka nervous.

That evening, Sokka confessed his worries to Toph. She just laughed at him, and told him that the last time the prince had decided to kill Sokka in his sleep, the preparation had taken over three hours, and his dilly-dallying had left the earth-bender sleep deprived. Sokka thanked the girl for giving him whole new nightmares.

And yet, when the tribal warrior's head hit the pillow that night, he was out like a light.

"I swear on my honor, I will not attack any earth-citizens, unless they attack or threaten me first."

The prince stood planted firmly to the ground, broad legged and chin up. The damn chain thrust downward like some kind of badge of honor.

Aang did a little twirl of glee.

"Well! That's settled then, let's release him and be on our way…"

_Not so fast…_

It was the man's tone that stopped Sokka short; made him reconsidered. And really look at the man.

The water-tribesman supposed it was a small miracle that prince had had the sense to not wear his full armor into the desert. Still, there was _very little chance_ of any earth-kingdom citizen not attacking the prince on first sight: in those bright red robes and his with that royal swagger.

"You'll need a disguise, jerk-bender; something in earthen greens. And the top-knot's got to go."

If possible, their fiery guest puffed up even further, answering as if he had expected his: "Unacceptable."

When Aang's face fell, and he started to complain he would never understand any of them, both the water-tribe and the fire-nation warriors rolled their eyes.

Things got no better as got closer to Ba Sing Se: the city where they hoped to find Appa.

At one of the bigger towns, they tried to ask the sheriff to hold on to their fire bender until they were safely away, and then let him go. The man agreed easily enough, and Aang had as usual been pleased by another's helpfulness. But then, Sokka's conscience had made him ask if the sheriff perhaps meant to release the prince _off over a cliff_.

After an awkward pause, the sheriff had denied that, but not even Aang had been convinced.

Then, only days from Ba Sing Se, they ran into a small earth-army patrol.

The Commander had been thrilled to meet the Avatar in person, and assured them that if flying bison indeed existed, they would be found on Ba Sing Se's bazaar markets. After that, he had suggested his army could relieve them of their prisoner.

Aang had again explained they did not mean to keep their guest detained, but the commander had assured them he was their best bet: His patrol could work wonders with its personal fire-bender at their disposal.

This time Sokka tried to explain that _this_ fire bender was not likely to cooperate with Earth Kingdom armies, but again their objections were met as irrelevant:

_The commander would take _extra care _of their prince; the commander had his own pair of Dai Li at his command: skillful, careful men. Not like those butchers down under the city. They liked to say Fire-Nation soldiers were like tempered metal: hard, and if broken, shattered beyond use. But the commander was a caring man, and this fire-bender was young yet…_

In the end, the group had resorted to sulky silence, while Aang alternatively smiled politely or nodded worriedly.

No one complained when Sokka woke their group in the middle of the night to make themselves scares. Not even when they had to knock out the two guards the commander had set on the jerk-bender, and not when they needed to free him from a fresh set of chains.

Even the prince seemed relieved to be taken out of there; at least he took extra care to be far, far away, before he turned to Toph and insulted her nation in a colorful language.

The girl just shrugged: "Hey, don't lug me with _those _losers. I have my own standards."

The endeavor did serve to turn them away from the city for now; for no one believed it would be fair to take the fire bender into the city after this. In hindsight, Sokka realized they might have discussed their new direction with Prince Ponytail first though.

Still, four days later the prince was still trailing on their little group. Though, in the mornings the prince looked like he was miserably caught doing something obscene. - Which, in a way, Sokka thought he was. Perhaps it had also occurred to their hot-headed guest that he would not live long if he ventured away from the Avatar's company _this_ deep within enemy country.

This was why the gang had taken this detour; to at least give the fire bender a chance at survival. Yet, when Sokka took a step to the side to gesture at the village beyond, the prince took up a decidedly defensive stance. It was odd, but Sokka kept his voice neutral as he explained:

"That there is a fire-nation colony. I'm sure they'll find you a way home. Keep walking, jerk-bender; this is goodbye."

He got a sneer for answer: "If you wanted to take me home, you should have taken me back to Uncle and my ship."

None of the gang understood that, not even Sokka. The reaction had him worried though. "Well, none of us are looking forward to walking through that desert again, so you'll just have to find some other means of transportation."

When the prince still didn't move, he tried: "do we need to _borrow you some money or something?_"

"That's Fire Nation soil."

"Yes…?" that had been the main reason for coming here.

"_I can't go there._"

Sokka arched a tired eyebrow. "Care to elaborate on that?"

But it was clear from the prince's stance that he did not: the low crouch suggested he'd fight them sooner. It was the first time in days Sokka thought it might have been a bad idea to release him from the manacles.

Toph saved the situation, in her usual way. "Bored now." she uttered with a yawn. "Let's try slides instead."

The firebender uttered a growl when the ground under him started carrying him towards town. Instead of giving in however, he turned and started to running back to them. There were flames in his fists, and one worried moment Sokka thought the man would shoot their blind earth-bender down.

Then Sokka understood why Toph provided such an easy, unworried target; standing there picking at her ear at complete ease. There was no honorable way of attacking her. She had not, after all, even initiated an attack; she was only moving the ground.

It still took several minutes and an increase of ground to near break-neck speed before the jerk-bender relented:

"Stop." Their trouble-making guest huffed. "They'll –stone me."

The ground slowed, but did not quite stop it. "Excuse me?"

"I'm banished. From Fire Nation soil. I go in there, they'll stone me."

Toph paled, and her slide disappeared. The prince stood panting a while, hands on knees.

As disgusting as the concept was, Sokka could not help but ask: "So, _your lordship_, is there any place where we can take you where they won't just be happy to kill you?"

The man gave a half-hearted growl: "I told you, my Uncle. And my ship."

"Terrific."

And Sokka was, again, reminded of the biggest problem he'd always had with strays: _nobody wanted them._

_Nobody at all._ – they would never be rid of this man.

**Yeah; this time I tried something else: keeping with a rhythm. The first part I kept pretty rigidly to it, later on I let it go.**

**22**

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	3. Personification

**This is the third and final piece for "One Last Chance"**

**You'll notice, again, it is somewhat different. Another experiment. Past tense and present tense interchange per part, and all of the Gaang gets a personal part, opposed to Zuko's internals.**

**I hope you'll enjoy; R&R! **

**.**

**Death.**

They were killing him one day at the time.

The worst part? They didn't even know it.

At first, Zuko had told himself they _did_ know; that he was being subjected to some secret air-bender torture technique. But slowly, surely, the truth started filtering into his unwilling brain: not even _Azula_ could have kept up a game this long.

Even when Zuko lied to himself, and told himself the Avatar was an ancient spirit; a being not of this world and quite capable of playing the perfect, sweet, trusting child forever- Even if the prince did, he still could not convince himself there could be _three other children_ as capable at lying.

**Aang**.

The Avatar talks non-stop. All day. He can talk about everything and anything.

"Did you have a good night's rest? I slept okay, but I really just can't relax without Appa here. Did you know he is my spirit animal-guide? Do you know he and I used to go flying down from the temple? Straight down, and then pull up at the last possible moment? Do you know how much fun that is?"

Prince Zuko says nothing back.

There is nothing to say; no fixing this war with simple small talk; no misunderstanding to rectify. He tries to tune out the boy's insistent chattering, like he did with Uncle Iroh, when it all got too much. But in his mind, he rants.

_Do you realize you have no chance of winning this war? And do you even realize what will happen, when you lose? The Fire Nation did not get where it is today by having any mercy. You may not be allowed to die, but the same cannot be said of your friends. As for your own fate, you can only hope my father finds a way to freeze you back into that iceberg for all eternity. Any solution that leaves you anywhere near-conscious will not be pleasant. _

_My father did not get where he is today by having mercy either._

**Murder**

They were killing him, slowly, with their kindness.

While the prince knew, it should have been _him_ killing _them_.

He should have practiced; like Azula. Started out on cute little animals at six, and then worked himself up to livestock and people as he grew up. Prince Zuko had found it all unnecessary cruel at the time, and Mother had agreed.

But now, he was sorry.

In those first days he kept up the lie, reasoning that Uncle would catch up. When he did, all Zuko would have to do is knock them all out and take the Avatar back to his ship on komodo-rhino.

Alone and on foot, even trying would have been silly. These children might be ignorant and weak, but they would never give up. No; if the prince was going to capture and make off with the Aang, he had better make damn sure his companions were good and dead.

Else, they would be hot on his trail faster than fire-bats out of a burning cave.

**Katara**

The water-bender doesn't talk to him much at all.

That is her one good trait.

The rest of the time she seems stuck between throwing the prince dangerous, distrustful glares when Aang chatters at him. Or –worse- she casts him short pitying glances when in an unguarded instance Zuko finds himself looking back the way they had come. Searching the horizon on the idle, _stupid,_ hope Uncle would somehow find them and catch up.

The night after they almost took him to the Fire Nation colony – after he confesses he is a criminal - she does address him, during dinner:  
"I can't believe the Fire Nation would even kill their own prince." She states, in a voice that suggest she'd believe _anything_ about his nation.

"What did you do anyway? Who did you murder?"

In a bout of cleverness, he smirks at her, challenging: "Why would I have _killed_ anyone? If my Nation is as evil as you suggest would not it make more sense for me to be branded and banished for trying to _save_ a life?"

And then he ruins it by breaking out into nervous giggles the moment he realizes how close to the truth that is - When you look at it all from the wrong perspective, of course.

The giggles turn into panicked laughter when the group draws in on itself on the other side of the fire, staring at him, while the earth-bender hisses at her companions.

The looks they give him are the closest to abject horror he has seen all week.

**Hate.**

He wished they'd at least chain him up again.

Or beat him, or call names –anything. _Anything_ that would justify killing these children that trusted so quickly. How was he supposed to defeat a foe that refused to display even an ounce of hostility?

In that, at least, his nation provided for its enemies. When Fire Nation made prisoners of war, they were subject to hate and scorn by default. After all, not fighting till death was the ultimate display of shame. Of weakness.

Weak.

He was weak; he knew that. Azula could have done it. A good lightning strike to their turned, trusting backs. Azula _would_ have done it.

But he could not; it was slowly driving Zuko mad.

**Toph.**

The blind earth-bender doesn't talk much either; when she does; it is either to insult of ridicule someone. She also likes to hurt people, or so she claims. Zuko finds himself comparing her to his sister; to Azula. They are both prodigies, after all.

As such, the prince tries to goad her into displaying the blood-thirst she claims. Yet Zuko soon realizes this girl's idea of hurting someone will always be limited to a few bruises and playful name-calling; he finds the fact less disappointing then it should have been.

When her umpteenth death-threat to his person is executed and turns out to be a finger-flick on his forehead, Zuko complains that she is all bark and no bite.

She says she could say the same thing about him.

**Personification.**

War was the ultimate form of detachment. Soldiers had ranks, not names. Their names were not important; no, they were denied as much as possible. War was like a game of Pai Sho; often, tiles had to be sacrificed to attain victory. Thinking of Soldier as game-pieces was better, then. Lest one grow attached and fail to make the sacrifices once they become necessary.

Thinking of yourself that way was better too. Easier. As long as he was Prince Zuko, and not Zuko, it was clear what his role was. What he had to do: obey the Fire Lord in all things. Capture the Avatar. Go home.

It was simple that way. Easy.

This was why it grated on his nerves to no end, Aang and his companions kept referring to him as just Zuko.

**Soka**

"We do not have any choice."

The water-tribe warrior had returned from his outing, back into their cave-hiding spot right outside of Ba Sing Se.

"Aang needs to find his bison. We need to go with him. We do not have a choice."

He gives Zuko another one of his meaningful glances. "But you do…

"-In fact, you have several choices to make."

The water-tribesman gestures to the green bundle he has acquired during his away.

"One: you can disguise yourself as an Earth Kingdome citizen. You'll have to cut your hair, like I said. But you can leave and we'll never have to see each other again. Or, you can go find your uncle and your ship, and then we can see you _all the time_."

The boy laughs at his own joke, even when Zuko scowls.

"Choice number two: you can wear my spare clothes; pretend you are from the water-tribes. We'll have to darken your skin with some face-paint, but that should just hide the scar. And you can put your hair into a self-respecting wolf-tail, no cutting necessary.

"Or: third option."

And this time the boy makes an ominous gesture. "Stay yourself, and follow us into Ba Sing Se as the prince of an enemy nation. But Toph's been there before, and from what she says I doubt we will be able to protect you. Chances are you'll disappear to moment our backs are turned."

At that, Zuko shudders inwardly. Uncle had said, shortly after returning from his failed siege, that he knew his son, Lu Ten, to be dead. Iroh knew, because no Fire Nation soldier would ever let himself be taken alive by the earthen armies.

After meeting with that patrol, and those Dai Li agents, that conversation had taken on a whole new meaning.

Still, to the prince it all boils down to just two choices: change yourself on the _outside_, or hold firm, and let the mind-mashers change you from within. Even there, Zuko doubts the two would turn out to be mutually exclusive.

The banished prince throws one last, pleading stare towards the cave's exit; towards where Iroh should be coming for him. But there is no-one there, and he should at least keep close to his quarry.

Zuko chose blue.

**Despair.**

And then they were inside the city, where there was no war—although there o_bviously_ was; where a scary woman called Jo Dee tried to keep them in line; and where the five of them walked a little too close together.

Zuko suspected that was because they all could feel it: behind the façade of calm and prosperous streets lay a root of evil to rival anything his Nation had to offer.

Their stay was pleasant; in the same way living at the palace had been pleasant. Luxurious and exuberant with the silent understanding that after only a single, unguarded moment you might find a knife in your back.

It took three days before Zuko caved and cornered Aang to point out to him that –obviously- he was being played. That these people knew _exactly_ where Appa—where his bison was. That all he needed to do was find the sneakiest, most powerful guy in the city and threaten him a bit and he'd have his dear Appa back.

Yet while the whole group fought to come to terms with a fact that was plain obvious to anyone who had grown up on court-intrigue, the prince made his own, shocking realization: the Avatar had become Aang, the water-bender was now Katara, The blind girl Toph and the warrior Sokka.

and Zuko despaired.


	4. All Crazy

**A/N: yes, I know. This is getting pretty long for a one-shot. But what can I do? Inspiration just sometimes hits me like a baseball-bat on a cold night. At those times, all you can do is roll with the brain-meshing strokes and write it off… ah, what the hell am I talking about anyway?**

**Just read the thing. ;)**

**0000~Z~0000**

They were all crazy.

Zuko had been sure of that long before he was forced to follow this ragtag group into the gates –the Jaws- of Ba Sing Se. And the point was proven again, as the Avatar and his _"gAang"_ raged through the Royal palace, in search for their beloved friend.

The ten ton sky-bison, Appa.

Apparently, nothing could stand in the way of their love for this great lumbering beast: The group tore walls; they uprooted pillars; they knocked out Dai Li. Ithin the rubble of their handiwork, they soon they found Long Feng: the man in charge; the man that knew where that spirit-cursed sky bison was kept.

And then, as one, the entire group turned on Zuko. Yes, they expected _him_ to make the threats and implications necessary to loosen the man's tongue.

Another obvious sign of their madness: none of them had pulled their punches before. Not the innocent-looking blind earth bender, not the kindness-preaching healing water-peasant. Not even her lazy, kitchen-raiding big brother. –that's right; the water-tribesman was indeed crazy enough to stop for lunch during their attack on the Earth Kingdom's royal palace!

Not even the Avatar had pulled any punches, though he insisted he was a pacifist at heart. The sweet-looking boy preached friendship and togetherness at every turn, insisted every creature could be their friend, and refused to eat meat on the basis that that would require an animal to die. Still, it turned out he had little trouble wind-slapping unsuspecting men whose only crime was serving their king loyally.

Yet now it became time to threaten this roach of a man, the lot of them suddenly got cold feet and expected _the Fire Prince_ to stoop off his moral high-ground.

Regardless, the task turned out unnervingly easy for Zuko: all it took was one hand holding a flame, another on an out-thrust hip, and a few lines in imitation the scariest person he knew: his sister.

Long Feng soon redirected them to Lake Laogai.

Dirty deed done, the entire group went on to tear a tunnel through the city, right into the poor Dai Li's base. Not a moment was spared to worry about damages to property nor person. Zuko followed them at a small distance, constantly torn between the compulsion to loudly proclaim he wasn't with these people, and the equally crazy calling to apologize for their behavior.

But their ruthlessness paid out in the end, and Appa was freed. This the real madness began.

Zuko had known, instinctively, that this had been his cue to leave. He had tried to explain as much to his overly-friendly should-be-enemies. But the water bender –craziest of crazies- , upon hearing his refusal to mount, and loudly proclaimed that she didn't give a damn if he stayed behind here. To get himself locked up or killed or brain-washed by the Dai Lee. A beat later she had promptly used all her water to nab and launch him into the saddle regardless.

In hindsight, Zuko would have preferred any of the fates she had named, or perhaps even all three, over the torture he was to endure next. It turned out Appa was very pleased to be rescued, and areal celebrations were in order.

The bison did loops. The bison did rolls. The bison did drops and sharp pull ups, spins and screws, and other tricks Zuko was sure there were even names for. All the way, the passengers whooped and screamed and yelled his ears off. Yes; the bison was as crazy as any of its riders.

When they finally landed; after too, too long a flight that was the prince's first - and hopefully last - he scrambled to the ground. Then Toph came up next to him and slapped him on the back, laughing boisterously. "Great flight huh?"

This is where the lunch Zuko had fought hard to keep down for over the last hour came back out the wrong way.

Toph kept her quiet as he noisily threw up more then he'd thought could ever have fit in his stomach, and then commented a little pensively. "Yeah, I'm actually not that found of the loop-da-loops myself."

When Zuko had finished his violent bouts of sick, he got his first pleasant surprise of the day. - No; much longer than that, actually. - It turned out Aang had landed them right with the one person Zuko had been so desperate to find these last weeks: his uncle Iroh.

Oddly enough, the general was not riding to Zuko's rescue on the forefront of an army; no, he was alone, riding an ostrich-horse and dressed in inconspicuous an brown. In fact, had it not been by the old man's joyous words of welcome, Zuko would not have known his one friendly relative at all. That Aang had been able to find his uncle at all could only have been due to his Avatar-ish powers.

When Zuko inquired as to what was going on, Iroh came forth with more bad news. It was the kind of news Zuko could not—would not believe. No; it was wrong, and it was crazy. That the Avatar and his companions were stark-raving mad was a proven by now. And, perhaps if the spirit of the world was mad, the world itself should be equally lunatic. But that _Zuko's country_ might turn equally bereft of reason… It was a possibility Zuko would rather not meditate on too deeply.

"Enemy… of the state…?" he half chocked out, not even understanding how such a charge could be brought against him.

Uncle was sympathetic, but pragmatic in his response: "Sadly, our ship and crew have been repossessed. Zhao came by, brought an official document naming you a traitor and commandeered the lot. I'm afraid I've committed an act of mutiny to come after you. You might be pleased to hear some of the crew offered to join my quest to find you. But as it was declared the act of joining you would name them traitors as well, I felt I had to decline in your name."

"Traitor, what—how can they say that, traitor?"

Iroh smiled apologetically. "Well, word is you have given up on capturing the Avatar, and have joined him instead."

That was _ridiculous_.

"I am capturing him!" Zuko's voice was too tight in his throat, but at least he could still force out… something. "Look!" he grabbed Aang around his middle, lifting him bodily off the ground; like grabbing at straws, "I've captured him right now! Get the chains."

The boy-Avatar gave a high-pitched cry in alarm, and then started squirming in his hold. Oddly, his friends did little: Sokka walked over to his sister and Toph, and half-whispered something that got him a snort out of both girls.

As for Uncle, he seemed strangely humored. "The Chains? I'm afraid I've forgotten those with the ship. I did have to travel light you see."

"Well, then get me rope. Rope can work." Zuko glanced down at Avatar. "Stop fidgeting you!"

"I can't help it," the boy giggled, half-hysterical. "I'm ticklish!"

**0000**

**Say hi if this made ya smile ;)**


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